Register to Vote

"Bad officials are elected by good citizens who don't vote." - George Jean Nathan

The Santa Clara County Democratic Party conducts year-round voter registration at all official events, meetings, and affiliated venues to the Democratic Party -- think: Democratic Party headquarters + satellite offices on the Peninsula, South County, East San Jose, etc. -- during regular business hours. We are committed to registering eligible voters because we believe your vote is your voice. And those who wish to represent you should know what you want.

2016 is proving to be a shocking and tumultuous election year at the top of the ticket. But we want to make sure we are electing good Democrats down the ballot too. This page is designed to answer questions about voter registration, resources, frequently asked questions, and our endorsements and recommendations.

Hard copy registration forms are available at the Registrar of Voters' Office, U.S. Post Offices, Public Libraries, the Department of Motor Vehicles, and other government offices. Signed & completed forms must be returned in person or by mail. They cannot be faxed or e-mailed.

After you complete your registration form you should receive a postcard from your county election office saying you've been registered. You do not need to bring this card with you when you go to vote. This postcard may be mailed anywhere from two weeks to three months after you submitted your registration form.

All registered voters (except for those who register very close to the registration deadline) receive a "Sample Ballot" from their county election office. Registered voters also receive an official voter information guide from the California Secretary of State. Vote-by-mail voters begin receiving ballots four weeks prior to Election Day. If you do not receive these materials, you are most likely not registered at your current address and should contact your county election office immediately to verify and update your registration record.

California's voter registration form asks for basic information, including your name, street address, mailing address (if different), birth date, the county in which you reside, and your place of birth (U.S. state or foreign country). The form also asks for your California driver's license number, California ID number, or the last four digits of your Social Security number. If you do not have these numbers, leave this field blank and your county will assign a registration number to you. (Note: for the online form a driver's license number or California ID number as well as the last four Social Security number digits are required to complete the transaction online).

Fields such as email address and phone number are optional; if you do not want to receive campaign phone calls and emails you can leave these fields blank (however, providing a phone number will help your county election office contact you if there are any problems with your form.) For information about choosing a political party affiliation, see the section above.

You will also be asked if you have been registered to vote in California before. This information helps county election offices remove your old registration information. If you have forgotten your previous address, or party affiliation, that's okay - just fill out this section of the form to the best of your ability.

Be sure to sign and date your form! County election officials cannot, and will not process registration forms that are not dated and signed (Forms completed online utilize your signature on file with the DMV as your voter registration application signature.)

There is a stub on the bottom of the paper form that serves as a receipt. You should hold onto this stub until you receive confirmation that you have been registered. The stub has a number on it that matches a number on your form, and can be used to track a lost or misplaced registration application.

If I register to vote, will I be called for jury duty?

Juries are drawn from a variety of public records, including voter registration and DMV records, among others. You can be called to serve on a jury whether or not you are registered to vote.